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A shortage of hospital trol-
leys has been blamed for the
turnaround time of ambu-
lances dropping off patients,
says Health Minister Terrence
Deyalsingh.
He said he witnessed first-
hand a 45-minute transfer of
a patient from an ambulance
gurney to a hospital trolley at
the Eric Williams Medical Sci-
ences Complex last Monday
during an unannounced visit.
The issue of the availability
of ambulances to respond to
emergency cases has been
highlighted in the media over
the last few days.
Speaking at a workshop to
develop a regional network on
surveillance and diagnosis of
emerging vector-borne diseases
in the Caribbean at the Hilton
Trinidad, Port-of-Spain,
Deyalsingh said Regional Health
Authorities (RHA) have been
mandated to purchase more
trolleys with the aim of the
patient exiting an ambulance
within five to ten minutes.
"This is a very low-tech
solution which would take
about a month or two," Deyals-
ingh said.
Regarding reports of a short-
age of ambulances by Global
Medical Response of T&T
(GMRTT)---a private company
contracted by the ministry to
provide emergency ambulance
services---Deyalsingh said he
had a recent meeting with the
company and had also man-
dated that its quota of ambu-
lances be increased.
Deyalsingh said the ministry
was within its authority to give
such a mandate as that was
part of the GMRTT's terms and
conditions as stipulated in the
contract.
"My policy in treating with
this ambulance issue is two-
fold... holding GRMTT to the
terms and conditions of its
contract for the number of
ambulances but more impor-
tantly to speed up the turn-
around time," Deyalsingh said.
He said he was expected to
hold a meeting with GMRTT
next week to determine the
exact number of ambulances
which were needed.
GMRTT's CEO Paul Ander-
son said yesterday the company
had 42 ambulances and were
looking to acquire 25 more.
He also agreed with Deyals-
ingh that there was an issue
regarding the expediency of
transferring patients at the
receiving facilities.
"No matter how many
ambulances we have, if that
process continues to be delayed
we will continue to have
resource constraint.
"We are being constrained
from doing our jobs by an
external force and we become
the public target.
"We own up to any wrong-
doing on our part and the pub-
lic looks to us but the under-
lying issue is that when the
ambulance goes to the health
facilties they are delayed for an
hour in most cases.
"In one extreme situation,
an ambulance was delayed for
eight hours waiting to hand
over a patient at a health facil-
ity," Anderson added.
A9
news
Wednesday, December 9, 2015 www.guardian.co.tt Guardian
Miguel Moses
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JENSEN LA VENDE
Three women, including a secondary
school teacher, appeared in court yesterday
charged with defrauding the North Central
Regional Health Authority of over $4 mil-
lion.
The women---Phern Spencer, 35, Stacy
James, 27, and Jannel Jones, 29---are alleged
to have committed the fraudulent acts
between January 1 and December 1 at Sangre
Grande.
The women were represented by attorneys
Fareed Ali, Shawn Mahase and Patrick God-
son-Phillips respectively when they appeared
before Port-of-Spain Magistrate Christine
Charles.
It is alleged that the women conspired
to defraud the institution by fraudulently
presenting cheques made out to T&T Med-
ical and Industrial Supplies Ltd to Royal
Bank, Sangre Grande.
The 21 cheques, each worth over $100,000
were all deposited into an account, over
which the women had control.
Spencer faced two charges, one for con-
spiring to defraud the regional health author-
ity and the other for allegedly forging the
certificate of incorporation for the fake com-
pany. The latter charge is alleged to have
occurred in Arima.
The other women had over a dozen
charges each, James faced 15 charges of
defrauding the health authority while Jones
faced 21. The women were each granted
bail despite objections by the state that the
quantum of money allegedly stolen was
high. They were each ordered to remain at
their addresses given to the court and sur-
render their passports. Spencer, a teacher
for ten years, was granted $350,000 bail
and ordered not to move from her home at
Mountain View Drive, Santa Cruz.
James, a doubles vendor, of Rampersad
Trace, Toco Main Road, Sangre Grande, was
granted $1 million bail and Jones was granted
$1.2 million bail.
The women will re-appear in court on
December 15 at the Sangre Grande Magis-
trates' Court where the matter was trans-
ferred. They were arrested on December 3
and were only brought to court after a writ
of habeas corpus was filed on behalf of the
women challenging their prolonged deten-
tion.
A fourth suspect held was released with-
out charge on Monday.
Teacher, doubles vendor on $4m fraud charges
Trolley shortage stalls ambulances
Santa, portrayed by Glen Davis, is greeted upon
his arrival during Hilton Trinidad's annual
children's Christmas treat at the hotel on
Monday. PHOTO: SHIRLEY BAHADUR
HILTON TREAT
LATEST CASE
The autopsy done on the
body of Lidya Mohammed-
Pinchilia revealed she died of
hypovolemic shock due to a
ruptured tubal pregnancy.
Mohammed-Pinchilia
discovered she was pregnant
last Friday and was due to
make her first visit to her
doctor today.
The autopsy was done at
the San Fernando Mortuary
yesterday.
On Monday afternoon, she
collapsed at her home at
Post Office Street, Balmain,
and after relatives waited
over half-an-hour for an
ambulance to respond, they
took her to the Couva Health
Facility.
All efforts to resuscitate
her at the facility failed.
Her distraught husband,
Kevin Pinchilia, told the T&T
Guardian yesterday his wife's
funeral would be done at
their home tomorrow.